By almost all accounts, Abraham Lincoln was a decidedly somber and serious man. He led the United States through a conflict of brother against brother and father against son, all in the name of freedom.
And so, it is appropriate that in the Salt Lake Main Library's special collections exhibit titled: "Mystic Chords of Memory: Celebrating Abraham Lincoln 1809-1865," that a bust of Honest Abe himself holds court in the corner, eyes downcast, his face full of that signature sorrow, surrounded by artifacts from the men, and boys, who fought both for and against the Union in the Civil War.
But these aren't just trinkets and relics. Many of the pieces in the exhibit came from a soldier with a face and a name, Charles Chidsey. Anna Matthews, the librarian who oversaw the exhibit, said the story of Chidsey was highlighted to make the Civil War, and Lincoln himself, seem more alive.
"What I wanted to do was to promote history, to encourage people to become interested in it … talking about when then was now," Matthews said. "It's just a perfect example of how history is not something that you have to just read about, history is living, people and their stories, that personal element."
For those seeking to find that personal element, they can find it in Chidsey's letters, which are on display and transcribed, and paint a portrait of war that is both harrowing and poignant.
"He's a baby, just a baby, but also how grown-up, how contemplative, how mature he is," Matthews said. "I think he gives a voice to all the young men, the soldiers, who they were, how they were, and what the war was like for them."
The exhibit will be on display through Saturday, Feb. 28, but an accompanying lecture will be presented by the owner and collector of the majority of the artifacts, Thomas Chidsey, on Thursday, Feb, 19, at 7 p.m.
Thomas Chidsey's great-grandfather was Charles Chidsey, and if there were any questions as to whether the war was personal, one can see that it is personal to Thomas Chidsey. He faltered slightly as he read the following excerpt of one of Charles Chidsey's letters, written after the bloody battle of Antietam.
"And if I fall in the impending combat, don't weep but rather rejoice. You will know why I fell and how, and you will never need be ashamed to tell the world my story: but while I do live I am determined to do more for my country than I have yet done."
Thomas Chidsey said the letters show a personal side to the war and they are alternately heartbreaking, funny and brutally honest.
"You really get to know him [Charles Chidsey] as you read these letters," he said. "He is 18 and 19 when he writes these letters, and he talks about that in one of the letters. It's kind of sad. He says, 'You know, Christmas Day is my birthday and I will then be 19.' "
Thomas Chidsey knows the letters and the history that accompanies them well, though he said he is not a historian; his lecture will be a mixture of both.
"By reading little quotes and passages from the letters, I hope to add a human element," he said. "To ask, 'OK, what would you see if you received this particular letter?' and then look at the historical elements."
He also hopes to show the influence of Lincoln and his decisions and show how they impacted the everyday soldier and civilian. The lecture will take place on the fourth floor of the Main Library, located at 210 E. 400 South. As it will take place in the exhibition room, space is limited.
If you go ...
What: Abraham Lincoln exhibit
Where: Salt Lake Main Library, 210 E. 400
When: Through Feb. 28
E-mail: emorgan@desnews.com